Closure device



June 1950 B. N. LAFARGE 2, 10,

CLOSURE DEVICE 7 Filed July 20, 1948 '2 Sheets-Sheet l Jmwnior:

$0M m Niko/as Za/Qrge AH'or nay B. N. LAFARGE CLOSURE DEVICE June 6, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 20, 1948 'jnucwhr; Bernard Mao/as [a/arge Wm AH'amey Patented June 6, 1950 tsi oLos IinE DEVICE Bernard Nicolas iiafarge, Sevres, Fl-ease Application July at, 1 348, series No. eats-"2 In France November :14, 1947 The object or the present invention is to 1 110- vide animpr'oved lid for closing tins,;can's or other containers, which may be provided with spouts and, which, from their opening downward, are first provided with a. cylindricalrsurface on to which the lid is adapted to fit, without play,rby means. of a corresponding cylindricalportion, and then preferably with axeeper or bead limiting thepenetration of the lid.' In such containers or cans, ior'examplef in the usual shoe polishti'ris', it i'sfn'ot easy to remove the lid and even to put it back in place. 7 I

An object of the mention, is toprovide a lid which is so designed as to facilitate the above operations, in particular the removal of the lid. According to the invention-, the cylindrical portion of said lid, portionwhich is intended to fit on to the cylindrical surface of the can or Claims. (on. mass) on 3 we s m'o eclw t ee r r baseother container, is extended at least over a part of its periphery byat least a .fia'r'ed extension which tapers awa from the longitudinal axis of the lid.

Said nai'ea extension facilitates: on the'one hand, the removal of the lid, either by means of a radial, pressure which is exerted on same and which, by pressing saidf extension tpwa d meets '(or other container), 'causes a slight deformation of said lid'which facilitates the disengagement thereof, and, on the other hand, the placing in position of the lid by guiding same.

It is possible to provide either a continuous flared flange extending over the entire periphery of the lid, or one or more projections (or lugs), for example two projections diametrically opposite one another.

Other features will become apparent from the following description.

In the accompanying drawing, which is given solely by way of example:

Fig. 1 is a diametrical section of a lid according to the invention, positioned on a tin of the usual shoe polish type;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the lid;

Figs. 3 and 4 are fractional diametrical sections showing modifications of shapes of the extension of the lid;

Figs. 5 and 6 are top plan views of lids, respectively with two diametrically opposite projections and with a single projection;

Fig. 7 is a diametrical section, along the line 1-4 of Fig. 8, of another modification;

Fig. 8 is a corresponding plan view;

Fig. 9 is a longitudinal section, along the line 9--9 of Fig. 10, of another modification;

Fig. 10 is a corresponding 'elevational view.

According to the embodiment illustrated in Figs land 2, the closure device according to the invention is assumed to be applied to a tin box 5, of the typecommonly used for shoe polish and like pmducts, said box being. provided, as from-its upper opening 2-, with a cylindrical p013 The lid accordingto the invention is provide as. f rom an upper end 5 which is fiat,, orre; cessedat is, with the usual cylindrical portion 1 intended to fit without play over the portion 3 we, ie r ns mist e i b '1 X-j tendedby a iiared portion or prolongation Boff. frusto-conicalshape which is preferably bound a small cyli-ndrical edge 9. The angleat the top of this truste -conical portion 8 is such that said portion iits over the bead i of the tin with V a slight clearance when the 11a is fitted right homeon said tin, as shown in Fig. l

When the opening of the tin as illustrated in Figures} and 2 is desired, in order to disengage theligiit is possible to press in two diametrically opposite directions, ipr example in the directions of f and f (Figs. 1 and 2) against the frusto conical extension t said extension is resiliently. deiormed and soon bears at a and b (Fig, l) against the rigid bead l of thev tin to someextent forms a lever arm, producing a" slight pull in direction of f and f onthe'. cylindrical portion l of the lid; conseqiiently'a slight ovalisation of the lid is predueeawni'cn' facilitates disengagement.

Onthe other hand, extension 8, owing'to its flared shape, considerably facilitates the replace ment of the lid in position, since it is only necessary. to fit the extension over the tin without taking any special care; owing to its conical shape, said extension guides the lid on which just a pressure is necessary in order to cause it to engage, no matter how accurately it is adapted to fit on the tin or other container.

In Fig. 3, a modification has been shown wherein the extension of fruste-conical shape is terminated by a rolled edge It.

Naturally, the shape of the extension may be other than frusto-conical; Fig. a shows a section I I which is more or less curved in bell-shape.

In the modification shown in Fig. 5, the flared prolongation of the lid (shown at 8 in Figs. 1 and 2) is not extended over the entire periphery of the lid, but only over two diametrically opposite portions l2 and [3.

Fig. 6 shows another modification, wherein only one projection I4 is provided which extends only over a small portion (about one-fourth) of the periphery of the lid,

Of course, any other similar arrangement may be adopted, it being possible to reduce the exten- 1 forming means extending from at least a part sion or the separate extensions to narrow lugs "of the lower edge of aid lateral portion, said which are divergent relatively to the longitudinal axis of the lid.

The lid according to the invention may be readily adapted to receive a guarantee strip.

Thus, in the example of Figs. 7 and 8, the two extensions l2 and 13, which are similar to those of Fig. 5, are themselves extended by two lugs It, l5 which are more or less horizontal and bent over at 16 and [1 so as to grip one of the ends of two guarantee strips 16' and (9 which may be cemented or otherwise fixed by their other ends to the body of the box l. Before the lid is placed in positon, the two strips [8 and [9 may, advanstretched between the two lugs l4 and i5 and which is adapted to be cut at its central portion when the lid is to be fitted.

Figs. 9 and 10 show another embodiment wherein the extension 20 is curved towards the axis ofthe lid. Its lower opening 2! is nevertheless o f larger size than the head 4 of the tin I, and said extension is extended by one or more resilient tongues 22 which are bent towards the longitudinal axis of the lid and are intended to press vagainst the body of the tin so that they can be covered by a guarantee strip 23. Owing to its resilience, the tongue 22, or each of them,

does nothinder the placing in position or the removal of the lid, since it is easily deformed temporarily as it passes over the bead 4'. Each tongue 22 may advantageously be provided at its lower end with an outwardly directed flange 24 intended to retain the lid by engaging the strip 23.

Naturally, the invention is in no way limited to the embodiments illustrated and described, which. have only been chosen by way of example.

Having now described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: p

1. An article of manufacture comprising: a container including a bottom Wall, a side wall and a bead formed on said side wall spaced downwardly from the top edge of said side wall forming in the latter a rim portion above said bead; a closure including a top wall, a lateral portion extending downwardly from said top wall andiitting over said rim portion and terminating a short distance above said bead; resilient leverv1 tageously form a single strip which is transversely i means having a flaring profile sloping simultaneously and continuously away and downward from said lower edge, the lower portion of said means being spaced a substantial distance below and beyond said bead, said means being most closely adjacent to the upper half of said bead along a line parallel to said lower edge and located between said lower edge and said lower portion, said means being suificiently close to said bead to contact said upper half of said bead along said line and to fulcrum theron under the application of inwardly directed pressure, whereby said closure will be disengaged from said container by the application solely of said pressure.

2. An article of manufacture as claimed in claim 1, in which the profile of said resilient lever-forming means is frusto-conical.

3. An, article of manufacture as claimed in claim 1, in which said lever-forming, means extend along. the entire periphery of said lower edge.

4..An article of manufacture as claimed in claim 1, in which said lower portion of said resilient lever-forming means is further prolonged by a cylindrical flange extending downward substantially. parallel to said side wall.

5. An article of manufacture as claimed in claim 1, in which said lower portion of said resilient lever-forming. means terminates. at its by a rolled edge.

bottom edge 7 BERNARD NICOLAS LAFARGE.

H v EFERrmens CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patentz.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

